Messi puts it in the square in business with Antonela as president: great ball in Barcelona

Lionel Messi He has legendary aim on the field of play, capable of sneaking a ball into the corner from 30 meters and with a five-man barrier. But what is surprising now is its millimeter precision in the real estate sector. It turns out that, instead of dedicating himself to counting goals in Miami, Messi has decided to count dividends in Barcelona, ​​converting his modest family business, Edificio Rostower SL, into a brand new SOCIMI. For those who don’t speak the language of accountants, a REIT is basically a tax magic trick: you invest in real estate, you rent it, you pay a pyrrhic 1% corporate tax and, along the way, someone at the Treasury starts to cry .

Leo, it seems, not only has talent for football. He also knows how to play real Monopoly. His new Socimi, Edificio Rostower Socimi, is presented as the Neymar of public limited companies: elegant, flexible and fiscally unbeatable. But make no mistake, it is not that Messi has opened a neighborhood real estate agency to rent a humid apartment in Eixample. Here we are talking about luxury hotels, shiny offices and establishments with hamburger restaurants so expensive that one wonders if the combo includes an autograph from the star.

Antonela: the vice president with the most style

Of course, Messi is not alone in this adventure. As with everything important in your life, there it is Antonela Roccuzzonow first vice president of this business machine. Antonela, the woman who has gone from uploading photos on Instagram with her husband to sitting in meetings with economists of the stature of Ramón Adell, must be the envy of an entire union: capable of speaking with equal ease about dividends and baby bottles.

The board of directors of Edificio Rostower Socimi is a parade of resumes so impressive that they seem to have been selected by an algorithm designed to detect geniuses. In addition to Antonela, the list includes Ramón Adell, professor of Financial Economics and, according to rumor, someone who could calculate the GDP of a country on a napkin; and Alfonso Nebot, a lawyer who, since 2009, has been dedicated to managing Messi’s fortune as if he were a midfielder distributing balls. Between these two and Antonela, the SOCIMI has more strategy than Guardiola’s Barça.

MiM Hotels, where luxury is not a matter of chance

The Argentine’s new business vehicle has an ace up its sleeve: the six hotels of the MiM chain (Majestic i Messi, in case anyone hadn’t caught it). Sitges, Ibiza, Mallorca, Baqueira, Sotogrande and Andorra are the settings where Messi has planted his flag, or rather, his investments. The rooms are said to have such a level of sophistication that even the minibar could pass for a work of contemporary art.

These hotels, managed by the Majestic group, represent the type of ‘balls’ that only Messi can give without anyone accusing him of anything. A clean, rounded and, best of all, profitable business. Because here we are not talking about renting rooms for 50 euros a night. At MiM hotels, each guest knows they are paying not only for sleep, but for the ability to say, “I was at a Messi hotel last night.”

An acronym that smells like a goal: SOCIMI

For those who are not familiar with the matter, the transformation of Edificio Rostower into a Socimi may seem like a technicality. But not. This is the Champions League of societies. While others are content with paying 25% in corporate tax, SOCIMIs enjoy such generous tax treatment that they seem to have been designed by someone who really hates the treasury.

Of course, there are conditions. For example, they must distribute at least 80% of their profits in dividends. But, let’s be honest, what Messi partner is going to complain about being showered with cash? Quite the contrary, each shareholder meeting should be like a post-match party, with glasses of champagne and balance sheets that shine like the Ballons d’Or in the Argentine’s showcase.

A building with history and hamburgers

The epicenter of this new business adventure is a property located on Urgell Street, in the heart of Barcelona. This building, owned by Messi for years, is much more than a simple set of offices. It is a symbol of how a player who spent his life scoring goals can also “mark territory” in the business world.

The property houses offices, parking spaces and, more recently, a hamburger restaurant from the Vicio chain. It’s hard not to imagine Messi supervising the opening of the store and saying something like: “If we don’t score goals, at least we sell hamburgers.”

Rodrigo Messi, the brother delegate

Until now, Edificio Rostower SL was managed by Rodrigo Martín Messi, the footballer’s brother and, apparently, a more than competent administrator. However, with the transformation into a Socimi, Rodrigo takes a discreet background, because now the decisions will be made in a board of directors that, frankly, seems more like a dream team than a simple board of directors.

Messi’s great success is not only his ability to invest, but his talent for surrounding himself with people who know more than him in the business field. As on the field, where he always trusted teammates like Xavi and Iniesta, in business he has known how to field a first-class team. Ramón Adell, for example, is not just an economist. He is a true financial guru who could give economics lessons even on Mars. For his part, Alfonso Nebot has been the brain behind Messi’s investments for more than a decade. With this template, the new REIT will most likely not only be a success, but a case study in business schools.

Messi, a visionary in all fields

With this movement, Messi confirms that his reign goes far beyond football. He is no longer just a mass idol, an unbeatable scorer or a captain who leads by example. Now you are also an astute businessman, able to identify opportunities where others only see bricks.

The Argentine doesn’t just score goals on the field. It also puts them in the financial statements. Because if there is one thing he has shown throughout his career, it is that the field of play does not matter: Messi always finds a way to win. And this time, the goal was scored from Barcelona, ​​but not at the Camp Nou, but on Urgell Street, with a socimi that promises to give a lot of talk.